We’re in the beginning of the year 2020, promised as the biggest year for the advancement of women’s rights. And there are several reasons for that. Not only does the year mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for action — the most progressive blueprint on women’s rights, it also serves as a reminder that a quarter of a century on there is still a lot of work to be done. It’s the year where world leaders have to walk the talk.

Zooming in to the world’s workplaces — where the conversation about diversity, inclusion and equality has brought to light many stories of women who have broken the glass ceiling in male dominated professions — it’s time now to lay the foundation that will make these stories the status-quo. So, what are the next steps that will make equality a long-term culture, one that is weaved inside the corporate world’s very DNA? How do we shift from systemic inequality to systemic equality?

Creating a culture of equality 

In their research on workplace culture and equality, Accenture mentions that, “When it comes to workplace culture, there is a large gap between what leaders think is going on and what employees say is happening on the ground.” This insight serves as a true problem statement for workplaces of all shapes and sizes, start-ups or legacy organisations with the same goal — to provide a level playing field for all. According to the research, conducted across 28 countries, two thirds of leaders (68%) feel they create empowering environments where people have a sense of belonging, yet just one third (36%) of employees agree. Most leaders also rank diversity and workplace culture low on their list of top organisational priorities. Approximately three-quarters of leaders ranked financial performance and brand recognition and quality at the top of their list of priorities (76% and 72%, respectively), while only 34% ranked diversity and 21% ranked culture at the top.

Diversity in a company is reflected when a team, a department or a group of executives in a company differ from each other in terms of age, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or religion. Equality needs to look at all these factors and not just the gender binary. This is indeed a complex final result to aim for, but one that is achievable with the help of a sound strategy.

To further understand the characteristics of an equal workplace, Accenture identified 40 factors that include a diverse leadership team, clearly started gender pay gap goals, policies that advance equality, training and tools that empower employees and more.

We’re in an industry where technology and innovation flow around you all the time. If you surround yourself with people who look like you, walk like you, talk like you, went to the same schools as you and had the same experiences, you’ll have the very same blind spots. You’ll miss the same trends, curves in the road and opportunities.” 

— Ajay Banga, President and CEO, Mastercard

In this series, we will attempt to lay down a path to meaningful progress towards creating this culture of equality.

Milestone 1: Empowerment 

Equality begins with empowerment. While it sounds simple enough, creating an empowering environment goes beyond just being nice, it requires proactive measures. Step one is to get a deeper understanding of what makes an employee feel empowered.

A report published in HBR revealed that empowering leaders had more creative and helpful employees. These leaders were perceived as more empowering by their subordinates as they were more likely to delegate authority, ask for inputs, encourage autonomous decision making.

Empowerment comes down to allowing employees to embrace their identities and giving them access to tools that would instil confidence in their own skills and abilities. Employees need to know that they have control over their own careers. At no point should employees be made to feel that they don’t have the power to change or steer their own growth and that they have no control over decisions that will impact them.

Here lies the greatest opportunity for impact. Employees who have a shared sense of purpose and autonomy become empowered to realise their individual potential. So what does an empowering environment look like for an employee? Have a look:

  1. Alignment in the organisation’s purpose and their own work.        
  2. Access to technologies that promote work-life balance.      
  3. Access to training programs that keep skills relevant.       
  4. Absence of conformity when it comes to appearance and expression.      

An environment that generates a sense of belongingness, instils a sense of purpose in their work and trusts them with the freedom to work flexibly and creatively is a key driver of larger culture of equality.

Milestone 2: Bold Leadership

This step is where accountability comes into play. Culture starts at the top. Setting targets, creating a sound strategy and implementing it to achieve equality is the responsibility of the company leaders. It is the leadership that sets the tone that courses down the hierarchy, through departments, teams, individuals and external stakeholders.

Recognising the importance of promoting equality, many US-Based venture capitalists, such as 112Capital, 500 Startups and Built By Girls Ventures, are investing in companies with diverse executive teams and underrepresented founders.

In India, while there has been a steady rise in women entrepreneurship in the recent years, the country still ranked 52nd out of the 57 surveyed countries in the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs, 2018. According to a recent report, this lack of women entrepreneurs is further linked to women having fewer opportunities to become business leaders and professionals.

So, how can leaders kickstart the process of achieving equality? Here are a few key steps:

  1. Prioritise diversity and equality by establishing advancement goals.       
  2. Encourage risk-taking amongst employees.      
  3. Make leaders accountable by tracking progress.       
  4. Continually encourage and reward innovation.       

Apart from creating the scaffolding for a strong culture of equality, leaders should also start asking themselves hard questions. Are they setting a good example of flexible working and promoting work-life balance? Is their decision-making process fair and transparent?

Once diversity and equality become a priority for the management, its ripple effect would start reflecting across the organisation.

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The next article in the series will break-down the last milestone in the road map to equality. To know more about the first two milestones towards creating a culture of equality, click here.

This is a partnered post